MARTIN Quantock has more reason than most to raise money for The Meningitis Trust.

Cheltenham's town centre manager spent three weeks in hospital after contracting viral meningitis in his mid 20s.

He is now 54 but says he will never forget having the illness and how quickly it came on.

He said: "I went for my usual Sunday pub lunch but didn't feel hungry and couldn't finish my pint.

"By the Sunday night I had such a fever and a severe headache.

"It was like a migraine, times a hundred. It was horrible."

Fortunately, he made a complete recovery after about five weeks but the memory of the illness has led to him committing himself to raising money for the Stroud-based trust.

He hopes to raise £300 by completing its 21-mile Five Valleys Walk on September 26.

To sponsor him, go to www.justgiving.com/martin-quantock.